CANCER GROUP EXPANDS ROLE IN SOUTH COUNTY AREA

Officials of the Palm Beach County Unit of the American Cancer Society say the south county area served by the Boca Raton branch has grown so much the branch will become its own unit in September.

The announcement was made by Cynthia Sanders, acting branch director.

"This branch has been around for 17 years," said Sanders who has headed the office in Boca Raton since January. "Our parent unit is based in West Palm Beach.

"Basically, we've been a service branch. We provided transportation, helped with the annual fund-raising crusade. But (society officials) saw the growth and education potential here.

"And they saw the need to develop a unit to better serve the south county area," she said.

Dale Wickstrum, chairman of the Boca Raton branch, said that, as a unit, the local branch would be able to offer more educational programs in Boca Raton, Delray Beach and surrounding communities.

Because of the size, growth and consistent community interest in the organization, he said, he thinks a south county unit easily could support itself.

"This area has grown so tremendously," Wickstrum said, "that the idea came to us that maybe we could support our own unit.

Wickstrum wrote officials at the Palm Beach County unit in West Palm Beach in November requesting that the branch become an autonomous unit.

"We do support the county unit fully," he wrote, "but our success as a branch in crusade efforts (1984 efforts are reported as $207,596), along with the growing enthusiasm of our community, has made it necessary for us to become our own structured unit.

"By doing this, we shall be able to service our community more completely, as is our desire."

Wickstrum said the application was accepted and will become effective in September.

"We're sort of like a child, as you were, of the West Palm Beach unit. We're not a rebel," he said. "We're doing this with their blessing."

Sanders said bylaws were submitted and accepted by the Florida Division of the American Cancer Society, and that a board of directors is being formed for next year.

They also are looking for a new office to replace the overcrowded one on East Palmetto Park Road.

"There's really a lot of community involvement in this. We're very excited about it," Sanders said. "We feel there are a lot of community members who want to do something to help."

The director said one thing that helps win the support of the residents is that 95 percent of the money raised in the community is returned to the community.

Some of the money will go toward more public information programs and cancer education clinics at local hospitals. Other aspects to be expanded include service and rehabilitation programs and education seminars for professionals.

"Of course, we're still growing and the process is slow," Sanders said. "It may be a year before the community really sees what we can do.

"But we have a wide variety of volunteers, both professional and lay people. When we become a unit, there will be an even stronger commitment by the community."